Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will enforce the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) including the provision on host communities’ fund, if elected.
Okowa also the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the PDP said this during the launch of the state PDP governorship campaign in Warri South and Uvwie Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state on Thursday.
He said that so much fund was needed for the development of oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.
Okowa assured that when elected, Atiku-Okowa administration would change the poor conditions in the oil-bearing areas through full implementation of the Act.
He said that the people of Delta were fortunate to have one of their own selected to become Vice-President in the next dispensation.
Okowa urged the people of Delta to rise and collectively support PDP, saying “we must work hard to ensure victory for the party”.
The governor said that Atiku-Okowa ticket would take care of some of the teething problems facing the nation.
‘We have resolved to ensure that our people are taken care of, particularly the oil bearing communities.
“There is a provision in the PIA, that is the Host Communities Fund and we will ensure its full implementation for the benefit of the oil-bearing communities,” Okowa said.
On how the party intended to tackle insecurity in the country, Okowa said that Abubakar would engage relevant stakeholders to ensure constitutional amendment to legalise state police.
“We have observed that the Federal Police is grossly inadequate to secure Nigerians and therefore, we are advocating the establishment of state police to enable every state have its own police to handle peculiar security challenges.
“Aside the state police, we will recruit more hands into federal police, procure more weapons and provide adequate logistics and intelligence gathering devices for effective policing,” he said.
Okowa said that renovation of Warri Township Stadium would begin shortly, and disclosed that contract for the project worth N2.9 billion had already been awarded.
He said the renovation would include the changing of the tartan tracks, the chairs as well as internal drainages within the stadium.
“We did not commence the renovation earlier because of the storm drainages we are constructing in Warri.
“But now that we have done over 70 per cent of the storm drainage project, we are about to start the Warri Stadium project.
“We will do a comprehensive renovation of the stadium and I thank you all for your patience and understanding over the years.
“After completion of the drainage, we will start construction of the roads to enable them last longer,” Okowa said.
The state PDP governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori, said Warri and Uvwie people were happy and anxiously waiting to have him, a “Warri boy”, as governor.
